'It doesn't look good' - Pep Guardiola fears the worst as John Stones adds to Man City's injury nightmare

Stones was hurt as he tackled Everton forward Beto in a play that was subsequently flagged for offside. The England man attempted to play on for a few minutes before having to make way for Josko Gvardiol just before the break. Stones was later seen leaving Goodison Park wearing a protective boot and his manager was less than positive about the potential extent of the injury.

"It doesn't look good but we will see," Guardiola told Amazon Prime after the game. "It's his ankle."

On his team's spirited comeback on the night, Guardiola said: "I remind them [of their abilities] every day. We have standards to keep. That makes us have more responsibility so the standards cannot go down. I thought the first half was really good. In the second half we had to attack quicker with wingers and runners and we did really well. They showed again how special they are. We know after six games with just one win, the people were asking, which is normal because it is all about results but we are close and so do Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool and Aston Villa. We want to be there."

Stones' injury will come as a further blow to City in a season where injuries have hit them from the very first game, when they lost captain Kevin De Bruyne after just 22 minutes.

With leading scorer Erling Haaland still sidelined and the season's breakout star Jeremy Doku injured since the beginning of December, Guardiola has had to confront the busy December and January schedule with a short squad. Losing the versatile Stones for a prolonged period would be a further blow.

It's a quick turnaround for City as they take on bottom-placed Sheffield United at the Etihad on Saturday almost certainly without Stones, Haaland and De Bruyne.